Something I've been noticing recently is that that left and right leaning blogs focus on different sets of stories or issues. Some stories, of course, are big enough for both, but many stories discussed ad nauseum by one side don't get even a ripple on the other. As a result, bloggers on the left or right tend to fall into a habit of shortcuts and obscure references, assuming that readers know what the heck they're talking about.
I think I did that in my last post with my "oh please" snide remark about Ridge not playing politics with the terrorist alerts. So here's the background.
Today Ridge said this: 'We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security.'
Sounds good, but is it true? Unfortunately no. Ridge apparently forgot the statement he made two days ago announcing the elevated terrorist alert, in which he included the following statements:
'But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the President's leadership in the war against terror. The reports that have led to this alert are the result of offensive intelligence and military operations overseas, as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan. Such operations and partnerships give us insight into the enemy so we can better target our defensive measures here and away from home.'
Legitimate point or not, it is 100% pure politics.
